Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Korea North and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1961 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Sarah Menescal to the grime kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Zero Boys. All the underground hits.
All Man Parrish tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Robert Hood record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mary Jane Girls record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Stiv Bators,
The Smiths,
Cybotron,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Sister Nancy,
Country Teasers,
Quando Quango,
Throbbing Gristle,
New Age Steppers,
Bobby Womack,
Flipper,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Prince Buster,
Delta 5,
Stetsasonic,
the Normal,
Swell Maps,
The Gories,
Mark Hollis,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
The Gap Band,
Black Bananas,
Warren Ellis,
The Music Machine,
Khruangbin,
Procol Harum,
Tropical Tobacco,
Basic Channel,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Eve St. Jones,
The Sound,
Iggy Pop,
The Birthday Party,
Neil Young,
Babytalk,
Joey Negro,
Laurel Aitken,
Robert Wyatt,
The Red Krayola,
The Misunderstood,
Ten City,
Curtis Mayfield,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
These Immortal Souls,
The Velvet Underground,
Spandau Ballet,
Moebius,
Agent Orange,
Sugar Minott,
Agitation Free,
Janne Schatter,
Skarface,
Amon Düül II,
Harmonia,
EPMD,
Wasted Youth,
Bad Manners,
Little Man,
The Slits,
Bizarre Inc.,
Cluster,
Newcleus, Newcleus, Newcleus, Newcleus.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.